Freakout of the day!

I mentioned in another post that I have health anxiety (a kind of OCD) and it manifests itself either by thinking I am seriously ill or will become so (or LO) because of some kind of contamination, just a little disclaimer before I ask my question, sometimes people think I'm a bit paranoid!

Ok, one of my biggest fears is toxoplasmosis, I don't know why but it is, I've been afraid of it through three of my pg. So DH brought a flower in the house and stuck it behind my ear, very cute, but then I asked, where did you get it? And he said, oh, I snapped if off from the bush outside!

I freaked out because I assumed it was a clean, cut flower from the florist, not a dirty, soil contaminated flower from our garden!

I immediately scrubbed my ear and neck in the shower but now I'm afraid water dribbled in my mouth...:(

Anyway, I know it's an over-reaction, intellectually I recognize that.

But for those in the know-is this a likely scenario (could there have been toxo spores on the flower?). I don't know much about gardening...

I've never known anyone who got toxoplasmosis and I know plenty of moms who are cat owners--and cat poop is the most signficant source of it. Think about it--nobody advises cat owners to actually give away their cats when they get pregnant. I don't think there is toxoplasmosis just floating around in the atmosphere outside, or else many, many people would get it. It's not going to harm you unless you are changing a litter box yourself.

I do understand these irrational fears, as I have a real, clinical phobia about vomiting (myself--I don't care about other people vomiting). Having a 2-year-old in preschool this year, bringing home tons of germs, has caused a lot of anxiety for me! It's also hard for my husband to be around. It helps me partly to remind myself that I have a responsibility to be reasonable and resist panicking, for my husband's sake and my kids' sake as they get older (I don't want to transmit this anxiety to them!). Maybe that could help you too, when you have an urge to freak out.

--

Beatrice, working mom (37) to DD1 Precious Wombat (July '09) and DD2 Little Bee (Sept '12). Everybody in the bed and on the boob.